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1 YR AGO FLASHBACK - PENICK'S UFC 114 REPORT: RAMPAGE VS. EVANS RESULTS: Penick's live on-going round by round report on epic grudge match event
May 28, 2011 - 3:16:52 PM 1 YR AGO FLASHBACK - PENICK'S UFC 114 REPORT: RAMPAGE VS. EVANS RESULTS: Penick's live on-going round by round report on epic grudge match event

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC 114: RAMPAGE VS. EVANS
MAY 29, 2010
LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

-The wait is almost over for one of the most anticipated fights of the year, as we are minutes away from the start of UFC 114 on Spike TV and pay-per-view. The UFC Unleashed episode on Spike before the Prelims has featured bouts from both Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans, with Evans' victory over Forrest Griffin at UFC 92 the featured bout before the Prelims get underway. With two guaranteed fights on the Spike Prelims and five more set for the pay-per-view card, we should have plenty of excitement out of tonight's card.

SPIKE TV PRELIMINARY CARD BOUTS

-And we are under way, as Mike Goldberg welcomes the fans to the prelims on Spike. Goldberg talks up the buzz in the arena at the MGM Grand Garden Arena tonight for tonight's epic main event grudge match. Joe Rogan comes in on color commentary to talk about the winner of the main event tonight getting a Title shot and having a ton of tension surrounding the fight.

FIGHT ONE: EFRAIN ESCUDERO VS. DAN LAUZON (LIGHTWEIGHT)

PRE FIGHT: Lauzon says he expects a fast paced fight and he's trying to knock out or submit Escudero as fast as he can. Escudero talked about the two of them being very good friends, but once he steps into the Octagon it's all business. I guarantee Dana White wishes all the UFC's fighters felt that way.

ROUND ONE: Lauzon engages first but Escudero lands a couple of counter punches. Lauzon lands an inside leg kick. He tries a high kick but it gets blocked. They're both feeling out the range of the other here early. Escudero lands a couple of counter punches again. Lauzon lands a jab. Escudero hops around the outside a little bit. A bit of a slow pace to the early going here. Lauzon misses a big left and backs out. He gets in close and lands a right. Escudero grabs a hold of him, lands a right and then drops for a single leg against the cage. Escudero backs out and lands a couple of knees to the head, finishing with a jumping knee and going right back at him with a double leg on the cage. Lauzon defends the takedown well against the cage. Lauzon broke free and stepped back to the center of the cage. He lands a left. Escudero counters with a combination. He blocks a high kick. Escudero lands a leg kick. Lauzon misses a Superman punch. They're back to posturing a bit here and they're just standing in front of the other. The crowd starts to boo and they each throw a short combo in an exchange. The crowd starts booing again. Escudero accidentally grazes Lauzon low but he's alright. Escudero gets in a leg kick and the round ends to boos.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Escudero. There was not a whole lot going on in that round, but Escudero got the better of the exchanges and did some damage against the cage with those knees.

ROUND TWO: Escudero lands an early leg kick. They're still trying to feel out the range, and neither has done much to engage thus far. Escudero finally gets in with a couple of nice rights and knees on the cage. Lauzon is covering up real well and Escudero continues to throw punches. He finally backs off to not punch himself out. Lauzon comes forward and shoots in but Escudero stays on his feet and holds the takedown off against the cage. Lauzon finally has to break off. Lauzon lands a straight kick to the body, but he's getting a bit tired here. Escudero walks him down to the cage and lands a couple of jabs. He lands a hard inside leg kick. Escudero gets in a jab again. Lauzon is stuck with his back against the cage and Escudero continues to walk him down. He lands a right and tries to go back to the knees but Lauzon blocks it. He lands a couple of hard leg kicks. He pushes him to the cage and lands a right. Escudero with another hard kick. Escudero trips him up and lets him stand up. Escudero lands a lef kick again. He finishes the round with a couple of punches on the cage.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Escudero. Lauzon's fading fast. Efrain needs to stop smiling and playing friendly and go after him here because Lauzon doesn't have much left here.

ROUND THREE: Escudero is still hopping around and Lauzon is clearly tired. Escudero lands another hard inside leg kick. Lauzon catches him in the cup with a kick and Escudero takes a bit to recover. Lauzon tries to engage and neither lands a punch in a short wild flurry. Escudero lands a leg kick and Lauzon lands a straight left. Lauzon came forward and landed a short flurry. Escudero came back with a couple of punches of his own. He presses Lauzon to the cage again with a few punches. He lands a knee to the thigh. He backs off. He tries to go to the knees again but Lauzon blocks them all. He separates with a short flurry. Lauzon lands a left and Escudero counters. Escudero misses a high kick and the crowd starts to boo again. Lauzon lands a short flurry. Escudero lands a leg kick again. He steps in with a side kick but it misses. Lauzon lands a two kick combo to the leg and body. Escudero started dancing a bit and the crowd booed. Lauzon's just standing with no urgency. Escudero lands a couple of punches and tries to egg Lauzon into exchanging. He landed a low kick, and then another and Lauzon crumpled up in pain. Rosenthal is taking a point from him for the two straight blows. Depending on how the judges score this. Lauzon comes out swinging and they both start trading blows with seconds left until the buzzer goes. Efrain's the one bleeding right now.

Penick's Scorecard: 9-9. I gave the round slightly to Escudero before the point deduction, but it could end in a draw if two of the judges gave the third to Lauzon.

WINNER: Escudero via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)

STAR RATING: (**) There wasn't a whole lot to that fight. There were a couple of bursts of entertaining exchanges, and Escudero was trying for some flying knees at times, but there was a lot of posturing and it became closer to a sparring match between friends at times.

RAMIFICATIONS: Lauzon's probably out of the UFC after that. With the turmoil in his camp and another lackluster performance I just don't see the UFC keeping him around at this point. Escudero got a needed victory after his January loss, but this was a fight he probably should have, and could have, finished much earlier to make a statement. Perhaps he was playing it safer against a friend, but it just wasn't a hugely impressive win.

PRELIM FIGHT A: LUIZ CANE VS. CYRILLE DIABATE (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Cane comes out and eats a leg kick early before walking Diabate down to the cage. He lands a combo and Diabate presses him back. Cane comes right back at him and eats a left. He then drops him with a huge left and falls into his guard. Diabate spins out and gets on top of Cane and back to his feet, but Cane grabs a body lock on the cage. He stays on him as Diabate tries to hold off the takedown attempt. Diabate lands a knee and they separate. Diabate lands a combination. He gets in with a straight left and then he drops Cane with a right. He lands a couple more on the ground and the fight is stopped! Wow. Hell of a fight. Cane's not happy about the stoppage but he was really wobbly. That's an upset.

WINNER: Diabate via TKO at 2:13 of the first round

STAR RATING: (***-) Awesome short fight. Diabate recovered quickly from a hard right from Cane before taking back over with some pin point strikes. That was a surprising upset and a hell of a debut from "The Snake." Great fight.

FIGHT TWO: AMIR SADOLLAH VS. DONG HYUN KIM (WELTERWEIGHT)

PRE FIGHT: Kim says he's best at a number of skills and he's going to use it to crush Sadollah. Sadollah says Kim's not as well known but is just as good as anyone else. He says a win will show everyone that he's getting to where he wants to be.

ROUND ONE: They both circle each other early. Kim lands a leg kick. Sadollah pushes forward and lands a harder leg kick. Sadollah gets in close but is off balance as Kim shoots nicely and gets an easy takedown. Kim gets to half guard. Kim tried to pass while holding for an arm triangle. He gets his feet up and Sadollah pulls him back to guard. Kim tried to posture up and Sadollah did a good job holding control of his body. Kim stood up and briefly passed to half guard but Sadollah got him right back to guard. Kim landed a couple of punches and a short forearm from the top. Sadollah landed a couple of elbows from the bottom. Sadollah continues to defend well. Sadollah almost swept Kim but Kim dropped right back onto him in half guard against the cage. Kim lands a few punches as Sadollah tries to move out of this position. Sadollah tries to get up again but gives up his back. He turns and defends some punches from Kim. He tried to get to his feet again and Kim is high up on his back. Sadollah holds onto a wrist and tries to shake him off as the round ends. Good round for Kim.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kim. He dominated position in that round but Sadollah was defending really well. He needs to do a lot more than that to get back in this fight, however.

ROUND TWO: Kim fakes a shot early. Sadollah tried to walk him down again with kicks to the leg and body. Kim grabbed a single leg and took him down quickly. Kim passes beautifully to side control. Kim tries to go after Sadollah's right arm. Sadollah sweeps nicely and gets to his feet. He lands a knee and tries to avoid another takedown as Kim stays right on him against the cage. Kim brings him to the ground briefly but Sadollah gets to his feet. Kim stays on him, however and complets a takedown. He moves to half guard. He continues to try to improve his position. He pulls Sadollah's arm across his face and holds onto it from behind. Kim finally moves to the mount with only seconds remaining. He lands a few more punches but the round comes to a close.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kim. Sadollah can't stop the takedowns at all here. He's still defending well, but he's been kept on his back the whole time.

ROUND THREE: Sadollah tries to engage early but misses. Kim gets another easy single leg takedown. He drags him to the cage and tries to posture up. Sadollah tries to throw his legs up for something, but Kim just smothered him as he tried to pass. Sadollah walked his back up the cage briefly but Kim dragged him back down. Kim gets to half guard and lands a couple of elbows. Kim stood up and Sadollah landed a couple of head kicks. He tried to get a triangle locked on but Kim gets out. Kim moved to half guard but got pulled back to full guard. Sadollag got back up to his feet. Kim tried another single leg but couldn't get it. Sadollah tried a flying knee and Kim took him down again. Sadollah got back up with just over thirty seconds left. He tried to unload a right but he's very tired. He landed a right, and then another and tried to finish strong. Kim pushed him to the cage and holds him on the cage to the bell.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kim. Another dominating round. Sadollah had no answer for his takedowns.

WINNER: Kim via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

STAR RATING: (**) Good show of dominance from Kim in that fight. Sadollah's got something he needs to work on there, as his takedown defense was not very good in this fight. It's something for him to learn from, and he'll be stronger from it the next time out.

RAMIFICATIONS: Kim stays undefeated and moves up the ladder to tougher welterweight competition. Sadollah's got time to learn, as he's an Ultimate Fighter winner and this was only his fifth fight.

MAIN PAY-PER-VIEW CARD

-Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan welcome those who were not tuning in on Spike TV, and they break down tonight's main event and the rest of the fights on the night's card.

FIGHT THREE: DIEGO SANCHEZ VS. JOHN HATHAWAY (WELTERWEIGHT)

PRE FIGHT: Hathaway said he wants to be successful and he will be successful in this sport. Sanchez says Hathaway's the perfect caliber of fighter for him to come back against. Hathaway said he's got to get him to the ground, get on top and finish him on the ground. Sanchez said he's still on a mission to become a UFC Champion.

ROUND ONE: Sanchez comes in with a nice combination early and shoots in. Hathaway stopped the takedown attempt at the cage. Sanchez stayed on him with the single leg. Hathaway almost got loose but Sanchez got him down briefly. Hathaway got back up and Sanchez separated. Hathaway lands a leg kick. Sanchez gets in with a nice left and then circles outside. Hathaway landed a very nice straight right but Sanchez just ate it. Sanchez popped in with a combo. Hathaway rocked Sanchez with a huge knee as he tried to shoot in and then dropped down into his guard. He landed some hard punches and tried to finish but Sanchez recovered well and defended himself. Hathaway postured up and landed some more punches in the guard and then Sanchez grabs a hold of him and tried to control his body. Sanchez tried to kick Hathaway off and ate some big elbows. Hathaway lands another combination from the guard. Sanchez again throws his legs up. Hathaway landed a right and a left hammerfist. Hathaway landed some elbows to the gut. Sanchez tried to kick him off again but Hathaway continued to lay on the punishment. He landed another big right. Sanchez landed an elbow from the bottom and an upkick and got warned because Hathaway was down. Hathaway landed a couple more punches to end the round.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hathaway. Sanchez absorbed a lot of punishment in that round, but he survived. Great start for the Brit.

ROUND TWO: Hathaway lands a leg kick early and a nice right. Hathaway threw a head kick but Sanchez blocked it. Hathaway popped in and landed a nice left. Sanchez threw a head kick but it was blocked. Sanchez cracked Hathaway with a nice right. He lands a left and a right to the body. Hathaway landed a knee to the body and a right as Sanchez tried to engage. Hathaway pushed forward and Sanchez blocked. He landed a nice straight left. Sanchez shot in and got a takedown. Hathaway got back up to a knee and Sanchez tried to pull him away from the cage. Hathaway worked his way back up the cage and Sanchez tried to stay on him. Hathaway pushed him off. He landed a hard straight right as he got back up. Sanchez landed a leg kick, and another. Hathaway got in with a right and hopped out. Sanchez got in with a two punch combo. Hathaway pressed in with a short combo. Hathaway cracked him with another right. Sanchez blocked a kick. Hathaway rocked him with a right again. Sanchez tried to throw a flurry but Hathaway got him again.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hathaway. His reach is really bothering Diego right now. Sanchez had a better round than the first, but he's still getting beat to the punch.

ROUND THREE: Hathaway got in with a couple of softer punches early. Hathaway lands a kick to the body. Sanchez lands a short combination. Sanchez pushed forward but didn't land anything. Hathaway cracked Sanchez with a couple of jabs. Sanchez shot in but Hathaway stuffed it and landed a knee to the face as he pushed Sanchez off. Hathaway landed a left but Sanchez landed a hard right. Hathaway pushed in with another right. Sanchez shot in again. Hathaway stuffed it and pushed Sanchez to the cage. He landed a right on the cage and Sanchez cracked him with a right. Hathaway with another jab. He landed a nice left. Sanchez pushed forward and Hathaway countered. Sanchez landed an overhand right. Hathaway with a nice combination. Sanchez tried to push in desperately but couldn't land. He pressed in with punches again but missed. Hathaway got in close, got a body lock and a brief takedown. Hathaway landed a nice counter punch. Hathaway with another right. Sanchez landed a right but got thrown aside. Hathaway landed a left and they traded punches as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hathaway. Sanchez pressed for awhile, but Hathaway got the better of the exchanges. Great fight from the 22 year old.

WINNER: Hathaway via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

POST FIGHT: Hathaway said he's very happy and he thanked the UFC for the opportunity.

STAR RATING: (***-) Awesome performance out of Hathaway. That was very impressive and a lot of fun to watch.

RAMIFICATIONS: Diego's taken a major drop in two fights, losing a Title fight and now to an up and coming welterweight. John Hathaway made a big impression tonight and has a very bright future in the UFC.

FIGHT FOUR: ANTONIO ROGERIO NOGUEIRA VS. JASON BRILZ (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)

PRE FIGHT: Nogueira called Brilz a good challenge. Brilz said this is a good chance to show where he stands against the elite in the division. Nogueira said after his win tonight he'll be one step closer to his dream of becoming a UFC Champion.

ROUND ONE: Very tentative start to the fight here with both fighters circling on the outside. Nogueira lands a leg kick and then goes back to circling. Nogueira comes in and lands a hard knee to the body. Nogueira lands a leg kick and stuffs a takedown. Another knee to the body. Brilz caught a leg kick and got a takedown. Nogueira got wrist control and almost got set up for a triangle. Birlz moved to half guard. Nogueira swept and almost got on top but Brilz negated it and got back into half guard. Nogueira tried to sweep and Brilz landed a couple of punches. Nogueira got up and got Brilz's back and took him to the ground. Brilz got to his feet and Nogueira slipped up. Brilz landed a leg kick. Nogueira got in with a left. Brilz ducked under a punch and shot for a single leg. Nogueira stuffed it and got loose away from the cage. Both fighters feined punches. Nogueira landed a couple of punches as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Brilz. His takedown and top control for a couple of minutes was the only thing of significance in that round.

ROUND TWO: Brilz circled on the outside early. Brilz landed a leg kick and grabbed for a single leg. Nogueira grabbed for a guillotine but it was not in tight. Nogueira swept him and Brilz got him in a guillotine. Nogueira swept again and Brilz locked it in tighter. Nogueira got out but Brilz got into side control. He held onto the choke but he lost the pressure and let it go. Great sequence. Nogueira got him back to half guard. Brilz landed a nice elbow. Brilz tried to grab the guillotine again but Nogueira swept him and got side control. Brilz immediately rolled out and then got back to his feet. Brilz shot for a single but Nogueira stuffed it. Brilz landed a knee and pushed Nogueira to the cage. He landed a right as he separated. Nogueira landed a right. Brilz landed a bif right as Nogueira tried to walk him down. Brilz shot for the single again but Nogueira got free. Brilz gets in with a right as Nogueira again walked him down. Nogueira landed a knee to the body and Brilz nearly caught it> Bogueira landed a right. Brilz landed a rocking right and Nogueira starts backing away. Both guys look tired here. Another great round for Brilz.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Brilz. That was a great sequence with the guillotine attempts, and Brilz actually rocked Nogueira during that round. He's having a great performance right now.

ROUND THREE: Brilz, all smiles, came out and touched gloves to start the round. Nogueira popped him with a jab. Brilz shot in and got the single leg and popped out of the guillotine attempt from Nogueira. Nogueira swept out and got on top of Brilz. Brilz moved up the cage and got back to his feet. Brilz tried to walk away and then shot in for a single leg and Nogueira held it off on the cage. He started throwing some hard punches and then stepped away to make Brilz stand. Brilz lands a right. Nogueira walks him down and lands a right. Brilz shoots for a single but Nogueira stuffs it. Nogueira slowly sets up a D'Arce but he let go of it and they stood up. Nogueira lands a big knee. Brilz got a takedown but Nogueira got right back up. Nogueira pulls him into a crucifix but Brilz gets out and scrambles and gets into half guard. Nogueira swept him into side control. Brilz almost gets out but Nogueira gets back on top and they both raise their arms as the round ends.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Nogueira. He had the better of the exchanges and had positional advantage for more of the round. This comes down to the first round and how it was scored.

WINNER: Nogueira via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

POST FIGHT: The crowd boos the decision. I'm surprised two judges gave the first round to Brilz. Nogueira said they needed to change the gameplan for Brilz instead of Forrest. He said that's why he had some difficulty. The crowd starts chanting "bullshit". Nogueira said he thought he deserved the win. The crowd booed heavily again as Rogan let him go. He said he will be back better. Rogan then went and talked to Brilz and he got a big ovation. Brilz told the crowd to not boo Nogueira. He said he left it to the decision of the judges again, and anything can happen. He said he thought he had Nogueira in that guillotine in the second.

STAR RATING: (***+) That was an awesome back and forth fight. Unfortunate loss for Brilz, but he fought a great fight and gained a lot from this fight.

RAMIFICATIONS: Nogueira keeps himself on track for an eventual Title fight, but he'll need to fight much better than in this one. Brilz won over a lot of fans with great heart and a very impressive performance against one of the best fighters in the division. He gained points with UFC management with that one after taking the fight on short notice as well.

FIGHT FIVE: TODD DUFFEE VS. MIKE RUSSOW (HEAVYWEIGHT)

PRE FIGHT: Russow said he wants to get in there tonight and take out Duffee tonight. He said he's looking to take Duffee down and bring him into his world and find a submission. Duffee said it will be a long war, and when Russow makes his mistakes is when he'll capitalize.

ROUND ONE: Duffee comes right in and stuffs an early takedown attem[t. Russow looks very out of shape here. Duffee lands a couple of punches. Russow pushes him back with a punch. Duffee drops Russow with a series of punches but Russow recovers. Duffee is just landing these rights at will and he's staying patient. He rocked Russow twice with a jab. He stuffs another takedown attempt. Duffee comes in hard with a three punch comboa nd then backs out. Duffee lands another big right. He's landing some hard punches and keeping the pressure on right now. He gets in with another combination. He rocks him with an uppercut. Russow can take a punch, though. Duffee with another two punch combo. Duffee again with a combination. Russow is not able to do anything except attempt to defend from the punches. Duffee is fighting very patient. Duffee barely misses a big overhand right. He cracked Russow with a hard uppercut. Duffee throws a couple of wild rights before the round ends.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Duffee. A knockdown would have earned him a 10-8 but it was very one-sided either way. Russow can take a hell of a punch, and Duffee is just laying on the punishment here.

ROUND TWO: Russow tries to land a right and he gets cracked by a combiantion. Duffee walks him down some more and lands an uppercut. He's less active than in the first round. Russow connects on a right. Duffee got him back with a right. Russow landed another grazing right. Russow connected with a left. Duffee landed another right. Duffee walked him down again. He landed a low kick and missed an uppercut. Duffee landed a jab. The crowd got a bit restless as the action has slowed considerably. They're speculating if Duffee perhaps broke a hand in the first. Duffee lands an uppercut. The crowd starts to boo loudly as it slows even more. Duffee may have gassed himself out. He lands another right and an uppercut. A jab gets in. The crowd boos as the round ends.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Duffee. He's gassed himself out here it seems. But Russow's doing even less than he is.

ROUND THREE: Duffee lands a couple of jabs early. He lands a uppercut but he's lost a lot of power here. Russow cracked him with a right but he countered. Duffee shakes off another takedown attempt. The crowd boos again as there is just not much happening. This is TUF 10 style gassing here. Duffee misses on a combination at the cage. Russow got in with a right. Duffee landed a hard jab. Russow landed a huge right and knocked Duffee out cold! That came out of nowhere. Did that just happen? Wow! He caught him on the temple and Duffee's head bounced off the mat. Russow landed a tapping hammer fist and the fight was stopped.

WINNER: Russow via KO at 2:25 of the third round.

POST FIGHT: Russow said it was an awful fight for him and he didn't execute his gameplan at all and he was shocked by the knockout.

STAR RATING: (***) That was a terrible second round after an exciting first round, and then a completely out of nowhere one punch KO. Unbelievable finish to that fight.

RAMIFICATIONS: Duffee's hype train came to a halt here. Russow's not going to do much in the heavyweight division, but that was a vicious come from behind win and completely surprising.

PRELIM FIGHT B: MELVIN GUILLARD VS. WAYLON LOWE (LIGHTWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Guillard came forward early and landed a short combo. Lowe tried to swing with a heavy right but fell on his face. The action slowed before Lowe shot in for a single leg. Guillard held it off for a bit but Lowe stayed on him and got a trip. Guillard got right back up to his feet, however, and held Lowe off on the cage. He landed a big knee. He got in another hard knee and Lowe stayed on him on the cage. Guillard got a Thai clinch and landed another hard knee. Lowe tried to grab a single leg and Guillard landed some big hammer fists to the head and finally got him off the cage. Guillard landed a leg kick. Guillard landed a huge knee to the gut that sent Lowe bowled over in pain. Guillard then landed a hard punch to the side of the head and the fight is stopped.

WINNER: Guillard via TKO at 3:28 of the first round

STAR RATING: (**) Another nice performance out of Guillard. He's really turning things around in his career and it's great to see. That was a vicious knee.

FIGHT SIX: MICHAEL BISPING VS. DAN MILLER (MIDDLEWEIGHT)

PRE FIGHT: Miller said he's got a huge opportunity and he's going to get a win. He knows he needs it to keep fighting in the UFC. Bisping said he wants the best Dan Miller possible so there are no excuses. He said he's looking to take his respect and he "truly believes" he'll be a Champion one day.

ROUND ONE: Miller comes right out and lands a quick combo. Miller cracks him with a left. He landed a kick low and Bisping played it up. They restarted right away. Bisping got in a right. Miller landed a right to the body. Bisping lands a left. Bisping blocks a kick. He lands a nice right. Miller backs away from a couple of counters attempted by Bisping. Miller lands a nice uppercut. Bisping lands a right and Miller pops in a left. Bisping lands a jab. Miller covers up and lands a counter punch. He's not afraid of Bisping's hands at all. He lands a nice left and a leg kick. Miller lands a good right to the body and lands a right. Bisping gets in a left. Bisping lands a left and Miller gets in a good leg kick to push him off. Miller lands a body punch. Miller with another leg kick. Miller lands a good counter as Bisping comes in. Bisping lands a left. Bisping lands a right as he tries to walk Miller down. Miller pushes in with a leg kick and a right to the body. Bisping connected on a good right. They trade punches. Miller lands a stiff jab. Miller gets in two punches and Bisping counters. Bisping finishes with a short flurry.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Bisping. He takes the edge slightly, but both fighters landed a bunch of punches in that round.

ROUND TWO: Bisping landed a couple of early jabs. He gets in a few more as Miller tries to press in. Miller lands a leg kick. He gets in with another leg kick. Miller gets in with another combination. Miller with a hard leg kick and Bisping almost catches it. Bisping stalks him down and gets in a short combo. He lands a hard right as Miller tried to engage. He gets in another right. Miller lands a hard inside leg kick. Bisping gets in with another right. Miller lands a punch to the body. Bisping throws a high kick but Miller blocks it and comes forward with a counter combo. Miller shoots but it gets easily stuffed. Bisping landed a big right hand. Miller landed an inside leg kick. Miller gets another kick in. Bisping comes in and cracks him with a right. He catches a kick and lands a punch. He pops in with another two punch combo. They trade punches as they circle. Bisping got in with another right. He caught another kick. Bisping landed a nice counter left. Bisping cracked him with a combo and Miller landed a good right as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Bisping. I don't know what Miller's strategy is here, but he's not having much success. Bisping had a good round there.

ROUND THREE: Miller tried to press the action early and Bisping tagged him with a combo. Miller got in with a hard right that looked to rock Bisping. He backed off and then caught Miller with a combo of his own. Miller got in with another right. Bisping threw a high kick and backed off. Bisping gets in a two punch combo as Miller tries to walk him down. Miller lands a leg kick again. Bisping gets in with an overhand right. Bisping lands another left. Miller lands a nice right to the body. Miller finally shot in with three minutes left and got the takedown. He needs to hurry up and finish this because he's losing the fight. Miller pushes Bisping to the cage. Bisping got back up to his feet and separated. Miller lands a punch and Bisping tags him with two. Miller tried to press forward and ate another short combo. The crowd chants "U.S.A" and Bisping lands a hard right. Miller shoots and gets him to the cage but Bisping holds it off and lands a right as he separates. He gets in another hard left. Miller pressed forward and they trade combos as the round is coming to a close.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Bisping. Despite the takedown from Miller, Bisping got the better of the exchanges and couldn't be kept down. I really don't know what Miller was trying to accomplish in this fight.

Penick's Analysis: Bisping via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

POST FIGHT: Bisping thanked Miller and said he respected him as an opponent. He said he was annoyed with himself for not finishing the fight, but he gave Miller credit for taking the shots. He told the fans in Vegas that if they're booing now they're going to have to keep on doing so because he's going to keep winning.

STAR RATING: (**+) That was a pretty good back and forth fight, though neither fighter came real close to finishing the fight.

RAMIFICATIONS: Bisping gets back on track after the loss to Wanderlei Silva. Miller might be out of the UFC as that was his third straight loss, and I really don't know what he was trying to accomplish with that fight.

MAIN EVENT FIGHT SEVEN: QUINTON "RAMPAGE" JACKSON VS. RASHAD EVANS (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)

PRE FIGHT: We've seen enough of the pre-fight, but they replay comments from the Primetime show and TUF 10 and hype that it all ends tonight. Rashad is booed loudly as he enters the arena. The crowd went nuts for Rampage as he came out. Very pro Rampage crowd. Finally this fight will take place. Rampage is looking extra mean tonight.

ROUND ONE: Rampage comes straight after Rashad and walks him down. Rashad cracks Rampage with a right early and rocks him! He runs after him and shoots on the cage but Rampage holds him off. Rashad lands a couple of punches to the thigh. Rampage lands a knee to the body and Rashad lands a couple to the thigh. Rashad keeps Rampage's back to the cage. Rashad drops for a double leg and Rampage holds it off. Rashad stays on him here on the cage. Rampage lands a knee to the head as Rashad tries to take him down again and finally Herb Dean separates them. Rashad ducks under a punch and gets a big takedown into side control. Rampage gets it back to half guard. He starts walking up the cage and Rashad lands a few rights as he gets up. Rashad lands a good knee to the body. Rashad keeps Rampage's back on the cage and the crowd boos. Rampage can't break free and Rashad lands a short punch and they get separated with twenty some seconds left. Rampage walks Rashad down and lands a couple of shots as the round ends.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Evans. Rashad had a very good round there, rocking Rampage early and then dominating the position on the cage for much of the round.

ROUND TWO: Rampage comes forward and Rashad engages but gets blocked. He pushes Rampage to the cage again in the clinch and the crowd boos. Rashad lands a knee to the leg, and another to the other thigh. The crowd continues to boo. Rampage breaks him off with a right and they separate. Rashad dances around a bit to boos. He engages again and tries to shoot but Rampage holds it off. The crowd boos again. Rashad starts throwing punches to the leg. Rampage continues to defend on the cage. He throws more knees to the thigh and Herb Dean separates them. Rampage tries to engage with a left but misses. Rampage cannot get anything going here. Rashad is just popping in and out. The crowd is not happy with the fight right now. Rashad gets in with an uppercut and clinches again. He lands some more short punches. Rampage lands a knee to the body. Rashad drops down but Rampage holds him off. Rashad takes his back standing and lands a couple of punches before the round ends.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Rashad. Well. This is going like a lot of people predicted and like I was hoping would be avoided, and if Rampage doesn't do anything in this third round Rashad's going to cruise to an easy (and boring) decision.

ROUND THREE: Rampage tried to walk Rashad down but couldn't land. Rashad engaged but Rampage shucked him off. Rampage continued to press and Rashad switched stances. The crowd started to boo as neither fighter engaged. Rampage dropped Rashad with a big combo and tried to throw bombs on from the top. Rashad covered up and recovered and held onto him with Rampage in half guard. Rashad tried to get scoot out and he got back to his feet. Rampage grabbed a single leg but then separated. Rampage needs to push now. That was Rampage's spot there. Rashad tried to press forward. Rampage is letting him recover. He just gave this away if he can't do anything here. He nearly had that finished. Rashad shot in and got a takedown. Unbelievable from Rampage. He let Rashad back into this. Rashad starts throwing bombs in half guard and Rampage is trying to cover up. Rashad passes to side control with a minute left. Rampage works to his knees and Rashad stays on him. Rampage gets to his feet and Rashad takes him down again. He lands some more punches against the cage. Rampage tries to get up and Rashas lands some more punches. Rampage gets back to his feet and Rashad stays on him against the cage. They separate as the round ends and Rashad raises his hands in victory.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Rashad. Rampage had him hurt really badly, and then let him recover and gave the round away. Very disappointing performance for Rampage and Rashad takes the decision.

WINNER: Evans via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

POST FIGHT: A better reaction in victory than he got coming out. Evans said the gameplan was to know what he does well and what Rampage doesn't do well. He said Rampage was sharp at first but he slowed down. He said he fought through the bad spot in the third round. He said it's a huge relief to have this behind him, but he'd be up for a rematch. Rampage said he tried his best. He said Rashad was faster than he anticipated. He said he put everything on the line and he trained as hard as he could and fought 100% to his ability. He said he was surprised that Rashad recovered and he put all his eggs in that basket and that he guessed ring rust was a factor. He said he wants a rematch and then he walked out very dejected.

STAR RATING: (**+) Underwhelming performance from Rampage aside from the short burst in the third round, but Rashad fought an extremely smart and effective fight to pick up the win. It wasn't always the most exciting, and Rashad did what many thought he'd do, but he wore Rampage down and picked up a clear and mostly one-sided victory.

RAMIFICATIONS: Well Rashad gets the first crack at Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, and I don't know what's next for Rampage. If he was fully prepared and motivated for this fight, with some of his comments heading in I don't know how eager he'll be to step back into the Octagon again with how he's felt treated by the UFC.

That's another event in the books. Thanks for joining us here tonight and make sure to tune in tomorrow to BlogTalkRadio.com/MMATorch from 2-4PM ET for our Livecast Sunday conversation. It will be heavy on UFC 114 discussion, so join us for the show tomorrow afternoon!